Tammy Wynette

SHE MADE emotions and a woman's outlook dominant in country music. Her ability to sing while on the verge of tears brought to that genre what had previously been found in African-American blues and a few opera singers.One of the enduring stars of country music, Tammy Wynette was made famous outside its circles by an inept reference from Hillary Rodham Clinton.Ms. Wynette rose from poverty and knew pain in private life as a Billie Holiday or Bessie Smith or Maria Callas did.Her death from an apparent blood clot at 55 deprives millions of Americans of a voice that conveyed the human condition with clarity and had more songs to sing.

By Geoff Boucher and Geoff Boucher,Los Angeles Times | January 24, 2008

LOS ANGELES -- Shelby Lynne, hiding behind vintage sunglasses and a casual sneer, slumped back against a bus-stop bench on Sunset Boulevard and checked her cell phone one more time. Lynne's manager was still fighting cross-town traffic, and the singer was overdue for a lunchtime appointment with a pitcher of margaritas. "You'll like me better after a couple of drinks," the country singer said. "After a few, I'll say anything." Lynne likes to have fun with her reputation. Back in the 1990s, when she was a newcomer in Nashville, Tenn.

By J.D. Considine and J.D. Considine,SUN POP MUSIC CRITIC | April 8, 1998

If all you knew about Tammy Wynette were the titles in her hit parade, she probably seemed like a walking contradiction.In some songs, she came across as the Queen of Bad Relationships, bemoaning bad men and broken marriages in such hits as "I Don't Wanna Play House" and "D-I-V-O-R-C-E." But in other songs, Wynette stood as the last true believer in feminine fidelity, telling "The Ways To Love a Man" and urging women to "Stand By Your Man."But that seeming contradiction was the heart of her appeal.

By J.D. Considine and J.D. Considine,SUN POP MUSIC CRITIC | April 8, 1998

If all you knew about Tammy Wynette were the titles in her hit parade, she probably seemed like a walking contradiction.In some songs, she came across as the Queen of Bad Relationships, bemoaning bad men and broken marriages in such hits as "I Don't Wanna Play House" and "D-I-V-O-R-C-E." But in other songs, Wynette stood as the last true believer in feminine fidelity, telling "The Ways To Love a Man" and urging women to "Stand By Your Man."But that seeming contradiction was the heart of her appeal.

With the help of some of Mexico's most distinguished chefs, the Baltimore International Culinary College is introducing traditional Mexican cuisine to students and the public in a series of cooking demonstrations and lectures between now and next August.The chefs are visiting the United States in connection with a program to develop recipes for healthful, child-friendly school lunches with a Latin touch, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.Food service personnel at schools across the country will be able to see video demonstrations of the chefs' expertise and will get recipe books explaining Mexican culinary traditions.

This is the Year of the Woman in country music, too."Yep, I guess it's the girls' night out, and it's great," says Suzy Bogguss, who just won the Country Music Association's big newcomer-of-the-year award, a category that included two other women, Pam Tillis and Trisha Yearwood, among the five finalists.All three women currently have albums among the Top 100 on the pop music charts. So do Mary-Chapin Carpenter, Wynonna Judd, Tanya Tucker, Reba McEntire and Lorrie Morgan.Bubbling just below them are Kathy Mattea, Patty Loveless, Holly Dunn, Alison Krauss, Nanci Griffith, Lucinda Williams, Michelle Wright, Rosie Flores and Paulette Carlson.

So this candidate's wife is being assessed all over again, as if she were a piece of property. Her value seems to go up and down with every rumor in the marketplace, taking her husband's business along for the ride.Just last month, Hillary Clinton was Bill's greatest asset. She was the one who stripped the poison petals off Gennifer Flowers' story. This was no wronged wife, long suffering abuse. She was the latest model in political wives, an independent lawyer and political partner.Now she's being talked about as a debit.

By Geoff Boucher and Geoff Boucher,Los Angeles Times | January 24, 2008

LOS ANGELES -- Shelby Lynne, hiding behind vintage sunglasses and a casual sneer, slumped back against a bus-stop bench on Sunset Boulevard and checked her cell phone one more time. Lynne's manager was still fighting cross-town traffic, and the singer was overdue for a lunchtime appointment with a pitcher of margaritas. "You'll like me better after a couple of drinks," the country singer said. "After a few, I'll say anything." Lynne likes to have fun with her reputation. Back in the 1990s, when she was a newcomer in Nashville, Tenn.

It is always difficult to know when one should print humiliating and unconfirmable rumors about famous people.But the standard seems to be: When the rumors are really, really juicy.So on March 22, Newsweek printed this about Hillary Clinton: "Who cares about health care? What's this we hear about lamp-tossing?"If the public at large was confused by this, reporters who cover the White House were not.Both Hillary and Bill have real tempers and while their flare-ups have occasionally been witnessed in public, these are nothing, rumor has it, compared to their private ill-humors.

As the largest yachting event on the Chesapeake Bay, the 18th annual Yachting Governor's Cup captures the attention of boating fans as well as those who enjoy a festive party atmosphere. The race begins at 6 p.m. on Friday in Annapolis and finishes the next morning in St. Mary's City, where a day of celebration is planned.Although the start of the race cannot be seen from shore, there will be a good view of its finish from the St. Mary's waterfront. The race features 14 classes, with over 300 yachts expected to participate.

SHE MADE emotions and a woman's outlook dominant in country music. Her ability to sing while on the verge of tears brought to that genre what had previously been found in African-American blues and a few opera singers.One of the enduring stars of country music, Tammy Wynette was made famous outside its circles by an inept reference from Hillary Rodham Clinton.Ms. Wynette rose from poverty and knew pain in private life as a Billie Holiday or Bessie Smith or Maria Callas did.Her death from an apparent blood clot at 55 deprives millions of Americans of a voice that conveyed the human condition with clarity and had more songs to sing.

With the help of some of Mexico's most distinguished chefs, the Baltimore International Culinary College is introducing traditional Mexican cuisine to students and the public in a series of cooking demonstrations and lectures between now and next August.The chefs are visiting the United States in connection with a program to develop recipes for healthful, child-friendly school lunches with a Latin touch, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.Food service personnel at schools across the country will be able to see video demonstrations of the chefs' expertise and will get recipe books explaining Mexican culinary traditions.

It is always difficult to know when one should print humiliating and unconfirmable rumors about famous people.But the standard seems to be: When the rumors are really, really juicy.So on March 22, Newsweek printed this about Hillary Clinton: "Who cares about health care? What's this we hear about lamp-tossing?"If the public at large was confused by this, reporters who cover the White House were not.Both Hillary and Bill have real tempers and while their flare-ups have occasionally been witnessed in public, these are nothing, rumor has it, compared to their private ill-humors.

This is the Year of the Woman in country music, too."Yep, I guess it's the girls' night out, and it's great," says Suzy Bogguss, who just won the Country Music Association's big newcomer-of-the-year award, a category that included two other women, Pam Tillis and Trisha Yearwood, among the five finalists.All three women currently have albums among the Top 100 on the pop music charts. So do Mary-Chapin Carpenter, Wynonna Judd, Tanya Tucker, Reba McEntire and Lorrie Morgan.Bubbling just below them are Kathy Mattea, Patty Loveless, Holly Dunn, Alison Krauss, Nanci Griffith, Lucinda Williams, Michelle Wright, Rosie Flores and Paulette Carlson.

So this candidate's wife is being assessed all over again, as if she were a piece of property. Her value seems to go up and down with every rumor in the marketplace, taking her husband's business along for the ride.Just last month, Hillary Clinton was Bill's greatest asset. She was the one who stripped the poison petals off Gennifer Flowers' story. This was no wronged wife, long suffering abuse. She was the latest model in political wives, an independent lawyer and political partner.Now she's being talked about as a debit.

As the largest yachting event on the Chesapeake Bay, the 18th annual Yachting Governor's Cup captures the attention of boating fans as well as those who enjoy a festive party atmosphere. The race begins at 6 p.m. on Friday in Annapolis and finishes the next morning in St. Mary's City, where a day of celebration is planned.Although the start of the race cannot be seen from shore, there will be a good view of its finish from the St. Mary's waterfront. The race features 14 classes, with over 300 yachts expected to participate.

WCAO-AM is looking for local country western groups to participate in the "WCAO Country Music Roundup." Bands must send a tape and group information to the station by Aug. 9. The station will then select bands to play in semi-finals on Aug. 28 at the Maryland State Fair; the finals, hosted by WCAO's Brenda Bissett and featuring a panel of celebrity judges, will take place at the fairgrounds on Aug. 29.The winning group will open for Tammy Wynette at her...

Today in history: April 6In 1830, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints was organized by Joseph Smith in Fayette, N.Y.In 1862, the Civil War Battle of Shiloh began in Tennessee.In 1896, the first modern Olympic games formally opened in Athens, Greece.In 1909, explorers Robert E. Peary and Matthew A. Henson became the first men to reach the North Pole. The claim, disputed by skeptics, was upheld in 1989 by the Navigation Foundation.In 1971, Russian-born composer Igor Stravinsky died in New York City.